/ world today news/ This is not the first time that Pope Francis has incurred the displeasure of Ukraine. While his position is by no means pro-Russian, it differs from what they would like to see from him. During an armed conflict, its participants view religion (and religious figures) solely as a psychological and propaganda resource. The Pope sees his role differently.
Statements about the mission of peace made by Pope Francis at the end of his visit to Hungary caused great irritation in many Ukrainian media. And although in Russia the tone of many comments was also rather cold, the diplomatic potential of the Vatican (and religion in general) should not be overlooked.
On board the plane from Hungary to Italy, the Pope said: “I’m ready to do whatever it takes. There is currently a mission in progress, but it is not yet public. When it becomes public, I will talk about it.”
Representatives of the Ukrainian presidential administration hastened to state with a sour face that “President Zelensky did not consent to such discussions on behalf of Ukraine. If negotiations are taking place, they are being conducted without our knowledge and without our consent.”
This is not the first time that Pope Francis has incurred the displeasure of Ukraine (and the West behind it).
While his position is by no means pro-Russian, it differs from what one would like to see from him. During an armed conflict, its participants view religion (and religious figures) solely as a psychological and propaganda resource. Dad sees his role differently.
We can think of several (of many) examples. The Pope condemned the terrorist murder of Daria Dugina, calling her “innocent victim of war”.
Not so long ago (on Catholic Good Friday, April 7), a religious procession took place in Rome, the theme of which was announced as “Voices of Peace in a World at War”. The event was attended by Russian and Ukrainian teenagers who spoke about their experiences.
The event caused strong disapproval from the spokesman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, who stated that the pontiff “equalizes the victim with the aggressor”.
The current words about the search for peace come after a visit to Hungary, a country that, although a member of the EU and NATO, keeps to itself, leads an independent policy, openly rejects the current “Ideology on LGBT” and does not hesitate to emphasize its Christian roots.
All this has made Viktor Orbán the target of furious attacks (he is constantly called “little Putin”), but it does not seem to have stopped the Pope from visiting this country, where he was warmly welcomed by crowds of devout Catholics.
At a Sunday service in Budapest, in the presence of almost a hundred thousand people, the Pope said he was praying for both the Ukrainian and Russian peoples and for “the future of hope, not war”.
In addition, in Hungary he met with Budapest and Hungarian Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Bishop Hilarion explained that they did not talk about politics. But the very fact of the Pope’s meeting with one of the most prominent hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church did not go unnoticed.
„The Pope in Hungary kissed the former head of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church. some Ukrainian media noted with indignation.
But even in Russia, the reaction was not, shall we say, warm.
The Pope was remembered for the disapproval with which he spoke of Russia’s actions in the current conflict. And many commentators delved into the history of Orthodox-Catholic conflicts, at least until the pseta – knights and the battle on the ice, seeing behind all the actions of the Vatican insidious attempts to absorb the Orthodox world.
This reaction is partly understandable.
In the conditions of acute confrontation, people tend to divide the world into friends and enemies, and a person who cannot be considered an unequivocal friend automatically falls into the list of enemies. Any position short of unconditional support for our country is at best suspect and even indignant.
But the unique position of the pontiff simply creates an additional field of possibilities.
War is always accompanied by the harshest rhetoric that presents the conflict as a battle of cosmic good against cosmic evil. Such a battle can only end with the fact that “evil” will be wiped off the face of the earth – and at what cost it simply does not matter.
Hence, for example, the desire to present the evacuation of children from the war zone as “act of genocide“. The enemies, being cosmic evil, are simply bound to commit whatever atrocities they must commit following the script.
But that rhetoric becomes a factor in itself. When the pragmatic interests of the parties can now be agreed upon, blood continues to flow because the war propaganda has inspired the people that peace is a betrayal of all that is sacred, a personal pact with Satan.
It is very important that someone tries to keep the conversation going, or at least talk about the need for it, and see Russia not as a global evil, but as a country with which eventually peace will have to be negotiated. As the Pope said: “I think peace is always achieved by opening channels. You can never achieve peace on the path of closure… It’s not easy.”
In fact, war is fought for the purpose of establishing peace on more favorable terms. Negotiations are part of the effort to achieve this peace. To guide them, they need diplomatic channels of communication and visible public figures to play the role of mediators.
Religious leaders are in the right place for this. As the Gospel says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they they will be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
The Pope’s reluctance to declare a “crusade” against Russia, his restrained position, his talk of peace in a situation where everyone wants victory and defeat, is an important display of good will and common sense. Both are in short supply in today’s world and should therefore be appreciated.
Translation: EU
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